Ken Burns Reads Rooftop Reviews! ("The Way" with Martin Sheen) 2011

NOTE:  September 22nd, 2019. Have just noticed the many recent negative comments about my review of this long forgotten film. But the best part was the comment from Ken Burns. Who knew he even read this blog? He wanted me to remove the whole thing. This post was originally done October 29, 2011. I have to wonder about the timing of these recent negative comments about an 8 year old review.

It seems I made an error in believing that the film is a true story, when in fact, it is only loosely based upon one. And I'm not the only one who was fooled, as you can see by googling the film on IMdB. Link handily provided below and in comments.

I have been on here for 10 years, apparently reviewing things with no problems of perception. I was surprised at the comments. (Please read them below.)

As previously stated, I am not the only one confused by this film. Read the plot summary on IMdB. It clearly says that he goes to retrieve the body of his son who died on the Pilgramage. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441912/

So, in essence, this review is an example of what can happen when a film is made too convoluted, or with an assumption that everyone knows the backstory.

Out of my 2,200 posts I may have gotten this one wrong. I think that figure speaks more to the clarity of the film's direction than to my ability to understand a film. It was pretty cool to have any comment at all though, even a negative one, from Ken Burns. I don't kid myself he is a regular reader. Just friends with someone who was annoyed with my review.

I have attempted to research and find out just what my error was, all the comments after the first one in 2012 were less than informative, just that the review was bad. If I ever re-screen this long forgotten film I will attempt to review it again. Meantime, I have modified it to remove any factual errors.
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This film, is a story about hiking the Pyrenees between France and Spain. The purpose of the hike is to trod the road taken by so many Catholics over the centuries in tribute to Santiago de Compostela who made the journey centuries ago, arriving at the site of the famed cathedral named after him.

APPARENTLY THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH WAS INCORRECT. I WILL HAVE TO RE-SCREEN THE FILM TO SEE WHY THIS WAS SO UNCLEAR TO ME IN THE FILM. I HAVE MODIFIED IT FROM THE ORIGINAL UNTIL I DO SO.

The film was written, and directed, by Mr. Estevez in tribute to his son, named Daniel in the film, and whom he plays in flashbacks. His death necessitated his father, named Tom in the film, played by Martin Sheen, traveling to France in order to collect his son's remains. Mr. Sheen was Daniel's real grandfather. Along the way he remembers the conversations he had with his son about taking this journey, and on a whim he decides to take the trip.

The Camino de Santiago crosses the Pyrenees from France to Spain, ending at the Cathedral. Tom decides to take this journey partly in tribute to his son, as well as a way to come to terms with his death. He is hoping to find the meaning of his son's death, but soon begins looking for the meaning behind his own life.

Tom, a widower, had not been especially close to his son in the last few years of his too short life. The last contact he had with Daniel took the form of a phone call in which Daniel describes the journey he is about to embark upon. The next call Tom receives is from the French authorities. His son is dead and now he must go to France to claim the remains, which in this case are ashes.

When he begins the trip he starts to experience flashbacks of the father-son conflicts they had been through. Daniel has repeatedly asked that his father not "judge" him. In reality, Tom doesn't want to judge him at all; merely understand him. Arriving in France he meets a French policeman, played by Tcheky Karyo, who explains the history, and meaning, of the journey his son was taking. This serves to propel Tom on the path that his son was walking at the time of his death. He also plans to scatter his son's ashes at various places along the way.

There are three major characters whom Tom meets, and befriends, along the way. There is the obese Dutch party guy, played by Yorick van Wageningen; an Irish braggart suffering from writer’s block, played by James Nesbitt; and finally the chain-smoking Canadian woman, played by Deborah Kara Unger, who never learned how to be civil. Tom is stuck with this group as he struggles to keep his reasons for the hike to himself.

But as the group make their way across the mountains defenses break down, as each of the group comes to realize that life is not so much about changing the things you don't like about yourself. Sometimes it's more about accepting who you really are, and then moving on, content with that knowledge.

Some reviewers have likened the movie to both "The Canterbury Tales", as well as "The Wizard of Oz", both of which Estevez has called inspirations for the film.

For more about the making of this extraordinary film, including the parallels to "The Wizard of Oz", read the interview with Mr. Estevez at;

http://www.avclub.com/articles/martin-sheen-emilio-estevez,62918/

"The Men Who Built America" - History Channel (2012)

After the Civil War ended, the United States continued to grow industrially, and with the culmination of the construction of the Union-Pacific Railroad, the nation was headed full tilt into the Gilded Age and the era of the Robber Barons. This 8 hour mini-series chronicles that growth of power, and the largely self-made men who harnessed it, furthering the growth of the nation while at the same time plundering it mercilessly.

This docudrama from 2012 focuses on the 5 main entrepreneurs who became known as the “Robber Barons.” These men; Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan and Henry Ford; each wrought changes to the way America worked and prospered, leaving in their wake not only the technological advances which came to define the era, but also a history of abuse which would give rise to the Unions and usher in a new age of rights and expectations for the workingmen and women who run America’s machines and produce her goods.

Directed by Patrick Reams and Ruán Magan, the series is narrated by Campbell Scott, and cleverly divided into 4 overlapping episodes, creating a seamless story of the times; and events; which propelled America into a century of greatness, which we are even now attempting to hold onto.

In Part 1; "A New War Begins"; Cornelius Vanderbilt begins his career as a steamboat captain, and amasses a fortune, which he then invests in the railroad boom. He quickly builds an empire, pitting him against fellow railroaders Jim Fisk and Jay Gould. At the same time, John D. Rockefeller founds Standard Oil , expanding his wealth by means of oil pipelines, which will eventually become just as much of an octopus as the famous political cartoon of Jay Gould straddling the railroads.

In Part 2, "Bloody Battles", Andrew Carnegie founds an empire based upon steel, only to suffer from the ruthless antics of his partner, Henry Frick, the man largely responsible for the Johnstown Flood and later the labor unrest in 1892 at the Homestead Steel Works.

Entering Part 3, "Changing the Game", we find J.P. Morgan bankrolling Thomas Edison to success with the incandescent lamp, even as they compete with the efforts of George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla. At the same time, William Jennings Bryan; who would later run for President 3 times and lose; begins a campaign to reign in the monopolies so carefully put together by these titans of industry, as they pile abuse upon abuse in their quest to amass even more wealth.

By the time Part 4 starts; “When One Ends, Another Begins"; Rockefeller and Morgan, along with Andrew Carnegie, team up to elect William McKinley to the Presidency. With their vast wealth they virtually paid for the whole campaign, extracting a promise from him that, if elected, he would serve the interests of the monopolies by vetoing any anti-trust legislation which crosses his desk. But when the president is assassinated, Theodore Roosevelt ascends to the office of President with a whole different set of goals. He immediately begins to dismantle the monopolies which these 5 men have worked so hard to build.

In spite of this, J.P. Morgan manages to buy Carnegie Steel, making Carnegie the richest man in the world. At the same time, newcomer Henry Ford begins to build cars in an “assembly line” fashion which will revolutionize manufacturing forever.

This is a wonderful look at America when she was in her most innovative phase, with people coming from all over the world, and each one carrying a dream they hoped to make come true.

"Cave of Forgotten Dreams" - A Film by Werner Herzog

The sign on the box office window read "No Refunds." Neither Sue, nor I, had ever seen such a sign at a movie theater before, and so we thought nothing of it. But that was before we saw this film. You know how when people come out of a movie and they are usually talking to one another abut the film they have just seen? Not this one. And it wasn't the silence borne of having been awed by the film - it was the silence that comes with the sudden realization that you saw the sign, and went in anyway.

A more pretentious and self aggrandizing film cannot be imagined. One of the most comical moments in the film, and remember, this was a documentary, not a comedy, came when the audience is asked, along with the film crew, to "experience the silence of the cave. Who knows, you may even hear the sound of your own heart beating."

I was really excited at this prospect - we never hear true silence, and the caves were beautiful, so I sat back to really feel the silence of the caves. Then it happened, slowly a thumping sound, growing louder and louder, imitating the beating of a human heart, and then leading into a musical interlude as the cameras panned the cave, took over the entire theater. So much for the silence of the caves experience!

Next came the former circus juggler, now a scientist, who talks of having seen cave paintings in other parts of the world. He describes how the local indigenous peoples "retouch" the paintings to keep them fresh, and avoid their fading. He states that the hands of these men are touched by the spirit of the cave when they paint, so in essence it is not their hands, therefore they are not ruining the original work, merely keeping it alive. I can buy that. I even like the idea.

Then we return to the caves in France, which are shuttered with a steel door. Inside the caves, which are 32,ooo years old, it is a strict no touch policy. This film is one of the rare times that filming has even been allowed. So much for the "spirit of the caves."

This is a very disappointing film, one which would have been better served up as a silent documentary, and would have let the paintings speak for themselves. With just a little background information to indoctrinate the viewer, this could have, and should have, been a wonderful film experience. I want my money back.

"John Adams" with Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti

I have no idea why I have not seen this incredible HBO Mini Series from 2008, nor any excuse as to why I have not read the book. I can only atone for it by writing this review. What a pleasure it was to watch history portrayed so accurately, and with such fine acting. The movie, based on the Pulitzer Prize Winning book by David McCullough, is of course, beyond reproach. The research for this project was an enormous undertaking, which included the diaries of both Abigal (Laura Linney) and John Adams (Paul Giamatti), as well as their abundant letters to one another. And in that sense, this movie is the story of a marriage, as well as that of John Adams and the Revolution.

There are 7 parts to this docu-drama, though it really could be termed a documentary.From his beginnings as a lawyer, the film follows the career of one of America's Founding Fathers, as he navigates his way through war, politics and personal tragedy, and helps to form the 13 colonies into a Sovereign Nation.

A large part of the series concerns the conflict between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. They were very much divided on several points. From the subject of currency issue and National Debt, to the formation of a Standing Army, these two men could not have differed more on so many subjects, yet both passionately loved the Ideal that defined the American Revolution.

Eventually, when the two men got older, they became great friends once again, and that friendship would last until both their deaths on July 4th, 1826. Adams last words were, "Jefferson survives." At the same time that he was uttering these words, Jefferson was only hours away from death himself at his home in Virginia. In Philadelphia, where the 50th anniversary of the Revolution which founded the Republic was being celebrated, the Liberty Bell was struck in commemoration, and cracked.

The film is lengthy, it took me 3 nights to watch it. But I actually looked forward to the next disc each evening. A knowledge of history is helpful in watching this film, but not necessary, in order to absorb the magnanimity of the sacrifices endured by the men, and women, who helped to found our Nation. These were extraordinary people, faced with extraordinary circumstances, which they met head on.

Here is a link to a great interview with the author of this beautifully crafted book and film;

http://www.thedocisin.net/?p=3747

"World War 1 In Color" Narrated by Kenneth Branagh

This brilliant 2003 release is an astounding look at World War One. In color, the images take on a reality which just cannot be gotten from viewing the footage in black and white. The scenes of the dead, the suffering of the refugees, all come to life in color. They are the same images which we see today on the news.

The scenes of the Russian front in 1915 are so vivid that I was loking for Omar Sharif to pop up and rescue Lara! I was freezing watching the fighting in the cruel and cold Russian winter. These films affect the viewer as no earlier versions possibly can. Confronted, in color, the war seems so relative to today. And it is. The excellent narration by Kenneth Branagh, lends urgency to the images as you watch these newsreels. The history is all correct,there is no spin involved, as none is necessary. The message is clear. War is horrible.

The recollections by the veterans themselves, are treasures. With unflinching honesty they speak of their fears when "going over the top." They are old enough to know that every breath is a blessing, and that wars cure nothing. They are the first to point out that the same conflicts exist today as existed prior to the First World War.

With the looming 150th anniversary of the Civil War fast approaching, you can't help but wonder what a difference it would make to have had moving, colorized images of that war. Perhaps when viewed through the eyes of a cameras lens, rather than just the glorified portarits of young men in uniform, along with the biased rhetoric of both sides, that conflict could finally be put to rest. Because war, when seen up close and personal, is not pretty.

Whether you are looking for a good history of the First World war, or just curious to see the colorization of the news reels, this film will surprise you. From the streets of Whitehall, to Berlin, Paris, Moscow and even the major cities of the United States, as well as the battlefields themselves, this film has something for everyone in it. This is a top notch documentary.

"New York" a Documentary by Ric Burns / Discs 5-8

Everything about this documentary is a delight. From the cover photo of "Steel Workers at Lunch" by Charles C. Ebbets, right down to the closing credits on Disc 8, this film really moves at a brisk pace, imparting a whole lot of information in the process.

Disc 5 begins with the return of the troops at the close of first World War. The footage of the ticker tape parade is particularly interesting, and I found myself looking for my Grandfather. The film simply involves the viewer to that extent. Of course, being a native New Yorker doesn't hurt my love for this film. This is the New York my older relatives spoke of. These are the streets and the people with whom they would have associated. This is as close as I can ever come to experiencing their world, as they saw it.

Disc 6 deals with the end of the Post War Boom and the subsequent collapse of the Stock Market in 1929. It follows the city through the Depression years, which were the ones my parents always spoke of. Again, this is as close as I can get to being there, my parent's stories aside. As the Depression deepens the city struggles to survive and with the help of the NRA and WPA, it does. Some of the greatest buildings in New York went up at this time. My Great Grandfather worked as a brickmason on the Empire State Building, so watching these "skyscrapers" rise on film is a real treat. Again, I found myself looking for a relative in the films.

Disc 7 was a bit of a disappointment as I really expected it to pick up with the year 1941 and the entrance of the United States into World War Two. I thought there would be at least some study of the city during the war years, with the blackouts, and the U-boats lurking off Coney Island. These were the stories upon which I was raised and I had very much hoped to see here.

Instead, Disc 7 explores the city between the years 1945 and 2000, casting it in relation to the rest of the world. The films were very well placed and the dialougue and interview portions lent light to some of the late 1940's and 1950's, particularly in relation to the arts, as well as commerce.

Disc 8 was kind of like a booster for the city, covering the years 1946-2003, which seemed a bit redundant, and entitled "The Center of the World." This disc really explored the commercial redevelopment of the city from a crime infested metropolis, which by the 1970's had become almost too complex to police correctly, to the re-emergence of New York, especially Times Square, as a once again vibrant and safe place in which to live and work. It also explores the recent demographic changes in Immigrant population and it's effect on our own culture.

If you love New York, then this film will not fail to deliver. And as a documentary it bears all the hallmarks of what we have come to expect from Ric Burns. Best part is that he can't help it. Along with his acclaimed brother Ken Burns, I'd say it's in their genes.